Corporate News

Club organises Equine Fun Fest to savour Olympic legacy

7 December 2008

About three thousand community members had the chance to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Sha Tin Racecourse, as well as to savour Hong Kong Olympic legacy, when they visited Penfold Park to enjoy The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Equine Fun Fest this afternoon (7 December).  They also witnessed the unveiling of the Olympic cauldron used at the equestrian events in Hong Kong, which is now on permanent display at the park.

The opening ceremony of the Equine Fun Fest cum unveiling ceremony of the Olympic cauldron was officiated by The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, President of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, Timothy Fok, President of the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation Simon Ip and Honorary Treasurer Michael Lee, top local jockey Howard Cheng, Olympic rowers Lee Ka-man and Law Hiu-fung, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Equestrian Team members Samantha Lam and Gaelle Tong. 

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, Club CEO Engelbrecht-Bresges said the Club had been providing high quality sporting and betting entertainment for over a century.  "We are committed to improving the quality of life of Hong Kong people in both good and bad times, and the whole community has benefited from the Club's donations." he observed.

"This is a very special year for The Hong Kong Jockey Club as it marks the 30th Anniversary of Sha Tin Racecourse, and the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events have just concluded here successfully," Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges added.  "Some thirty years ago, the Club reclaimed a stretch of water in Tide Cove to build the current magnificent racecourse at Sha Tin.  The land thus created was also used for building public housing estates and roads.  Sha Tin was soon transformed into a well-planned and well-facilitated community with the racecourse as its landmark.  We will continue to carry forward the Olympic spirit and legacy from Sha Tin to everywhere in Hong Kong."

Besides staging today's Equine Fun Fest and displaying the Olympic cauldron in Penfold Park, the Club plans to launch more large-scale events to let the public savour Hong Kong's Olympic legacy. Today's event highlighted the Club's commitment to the community in four principal areas: Sports; Recreation and Culture; Education and Training; Community Services; and Medical and Health.

Visitors to the Equine Fun Fest were able to explore the Olympic legacy through three different zones at the park: the Equine Community zone, the Equine Capital zone, and the Equine Heroes zone.

The Equine Community zone invited participants to enter an interactive world of fun and games by means of an interactive brochure where they could 'travel' around Club-funded community facilities such as Ocean Park, the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, the Centre for Health Protection and the re-construction projects the Club is now funding in Sichuan following this year's earthquake disaster. 

In the Equine Capital zone, besides getting a close-up look at the Olympic cauldron, visitors could see a wide-range of equine-related displays including some of the specially-designed jumping fences used at the Olympics, the 'Olympic mega rings' montage that welcomed visitors to the Sha Tin equestrian venue,  and the horse statues used in this year's Horses Across Hong Kong campaign.  Through a series of film clips they could also relive memories of some of Hong Kong's finest racehorses of recent years including River Verdon, Fairy King Prawn, Silent Witness and Vengeance Of Rain.

The Equine Heroes zone enabled visitors to see the adorable Shetland ponies and try pony riding for themselves. They also enjoyed jumping demonstrations by the HKJC Equestrian Team member, Samantha Lam and Gaelle Tong. The pair shared their feelings with visitors about taking part in equestrian competitions.

The Club will also organise a series of outreach programmes for schools in the coming year, aimed at enriching the younger generation's knowledge of equestrian sport and the daily lives of horses through an interactive platform in order to further strengthen Hong Kong's reputation as the Equine Capital.

Annex

Equine Fun Fest Fact Sheet


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(From left) Hong Kong's Olympic cauldron is unveiled in its new home at Penfold Park by top local jockey Howard Cheng; Olympic rower Lee Ka-man; Honorary Treasurer of the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation Michael Lee; The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges; President of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China, Timothy Fok; President of the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation Simon Ip; and HKJC Equestrian Team members Samantha Lam and Gaelle Tong; and Olympic rower Law Hiu-fung.


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The guests tour at the Equine Fun Fest.


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Invited students enjoy the unusual experience of 'travelling' through some major Club-funded community facilities by means of an interactive brochure.


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HKJC Equestrian Team member Samantha Lam stages a jumping demonstration and shares her riding experience.


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Visitors enjoy playing games themed around Olympic equestrian events.


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